Be Careful! Consult the Lord in Everything
3 But when the people of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done to Jericho and Ai, 4 they resorted to deception to save themselves. They sent ambassadors to Joshua, loading their donkeys with weathered saddlebags and old, patched wineskins. 5 They put on worn-out, patched sandals and ragged clothes. And the bread they took with them was dry and moldy. 6 When they arrived at the camp of Israel at Gilgal, they told Joshua and the men of Israel, “We have come from a distant land to ask you to make a peace treaty with us.”
7 The Israelites replied to these Hivites, “How do we know you don’t live nearby? For if you do, we cannot make a treaty with you.”
8 They replied, “We are your servants.”
“But who are you?” Joshua demanded. “Where do you come from?”
9 They answered, “Your servants have come from a very distant country. We have heard of the might of the Lord your God and of all he did in Egypt. 10 We have also heard what he did to the two Amorite kings east of the Jordan River—King Sihon of Heshbon and King Og of Bashan (who lived in Ashtaroth). 11 So our elders and all our people instructed us, ‘Take supplies for a long journey. Go meet with the people of Israel and tell them, “We are your servants; please make a treaty with us.”’
12 “This bread was hot from the ovens when we left our homes. But now, as you can see, it is dry and moldy. 13 These wineskins were new when we filled them, but now they are old and split open. And our clothing and sandals are worn out from our very long journey.”
14 So the Israelites examined their food, but they did not consult the Lord. 15 Then Joshua made a peace treaty with them and guaranteed their safety, and the leaders of the community ratified their agreement with a binding oath. Joshua 9:3-14 NLT
So the Gibeonites had heard about how the Israelites with the Lord's favor had destroyed Egypt, Jericho and AI and they were afraid so they came dressed up as travelers from a far country to make a treaty. Now Joshua had to suspect something was up because he asked, "How do we know you don't live nearby?" Joshua knew that they weren't to make treaties with the people who lived nearby. But the Gibeonites lied and convinced them with their "old clothes, moldy bread and old wineskins." The Gibeonites had a great story to accompany their appearance.
Now here is where the Israelites made a mistake, it says in verse 14 that the Israelites examined their food, but they did not consult the Lord. How many times have you heard a story and something just didn't ring true? But you felt sorry for them and bought the story hook, line and sinker. That is what happened here in Joshua! Three days later the Israelites found out that the Gibeonites had lied. Joshua went to them and told them that they lied but they honored the treaty. They didn't get to cry out, "But they lied to us!" It didn't matter, they had to honor the treaty because they gave their word in a binding oath in the name of the Lord. Joshua honored the peace treaty but made all of the Gibeonites woodcutters and water carriers for Israel from then on.
The Lord had told them not to make treaties with those that lived close by. Bottom line is Joshua should have consulted the Lord. The Israelites should have consulted the Lord but they didn't. Joshua was even suspicious but he went against his better judgement and things looked legit so he entered into a legally binding contract.
What does this mean to us? We need to be wise! We need to investigate things and not just take people at their word. When you feel checked about something, consult the Lord! Stories can sound good and look legit, but that is exactly what they are...just stories! When you read or watch a sad story on social media, research it before sharing! Do not just hear one side of a story and not consider the other side. No where in the bible does it say that feeling sorry for someone is what we should do. It does say for us to be compassionate but there is a difference between compassion and pity. In Ephesians 5:15 NIV says, "15 Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, 16 making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. 17 Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is." There are consequences for our actions so don't be foolish. Especially when He is there, as a resource, waiting for us to consult Him!
Be sensitive to the Holy Spirit and be wise,
Shanin
7 The Israelites replied to these Hivites, “How do we know you don’t live nearby? For if you do, we cannot make a treaty with you.”
8 They replied, “We are your servants.”
“But who are you?” Joshua demanded. “Where do you come from?”
9 They answered, “Your servants have come from a very distant country. We have heard of the might of the Lord your God and of all he did in Egypt. 10 We have also heard what he did to the two Amorite kings east of the Jordan River—King Sihon of Heshbon and King Og of Bashan (who lived in Ashtaroth). 11 So our elders and all our people instructed us, ‘Take supplies for a long journey. Go meet with the people of Israel and tell them, “We are your servants; please make a treaty with us.”’
12 “This bread was hot from the ovens when we left our homes. But now, as you can see, it is dry and moldy. 13 These wineskins were new when we filled them, but now they are old and split open. And our clothing and sandals are worn out from our very long journey.”
14 So the Israelites examined their food, but they did not consult the Lord. 15 Then Joshua made a peace treaty with them and guaranteed their safety, and the leaders of the community ratified their agreement with a binding oath. Joshua 9:3-14 NLT
So the Gibeonites had heard about how the Israelites with the Lord's favor had destroyed Egypt, Jericho and AI and they were afraid so they came dressed up as travelers from a far country to make a treaty. Now Joshua had to suspect something was up because he asked, "How do we know you don't live nearby?" Joshua knew that they weren't to make treaties with the people who lived nearby. But the Gibeonites lied and convinced them with their "old clothes, moldy bread and old wineskins." The Gibeonites had a great story to accompany their appearance.
Now here is where the Israelites made a mistake, it says in verse 14 that the Israelites examined their food, but they did not consult the Lord. How many times have you heard a story and something just didn't ring true? But you felt sorry for them and bought the story hook, line and sinker. That is what happened here in Joshua! Three days later the Israelites found out that the Gibeonites had lied. Joshua went to them and told them that they lied but they honored the treaty. They didn't get to cry out, "But they lied to us!" It didn't matter, they had to honor the treaty because they gave their word in a binding oath in the name of the Lord. Joshua honored the peace treaty but made all of the Gibeonites woodcutters and water carriers for Israel from then on.
The Lord had told them not to make treaties with those that lived close by. Bottom line is Joshua should have consulted the Lord. The Israelites should have consulted the Lord but they didn't. Joshua was even suspicious but he went against his better judgement and things looked legit so he entered into a legally binding contract.
What does this mean to us? We need to be wise! We need to investigate things and not just take people at their word. When you feel checked about something, consult the Lord! Stories can sound good and look legit, but that is exactly what they are...just stories! When you read or watch a sad story on social media, research it before sharing! Do not just hear one side of a story and not consider the other side. No where in the bible does it say that feeling sorry for someone is what we should do. It does say for us to be compassionate but there is a difference between compassion and pity. In Ephesians 5:15 NIV says, "15 Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, 16 making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. 17 Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is." There are consequences for our actions so don't be foolish. Especially when He is there, as a resource, waiting for us to consult Him!
Be sensitive to the Holy Spirit and be wise,
Shanin
Comments
Post a Comment